Car-coupling



(No Model.)

J. H. BOLITHO. GAR COUPLING.

No. 471,376. Patented Mar. 22,1892.

MMH M%.@ i, WJW'S Nr'rnn STATES JOHN H. BOLLTHO,

OF BOONE, IOlVA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,376, dated March 22, 1892.

Application filed May 1 1891, Serial No. 391,219. (No model.)

ToaZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN H. BOLITHO, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Boone, in the county of Boone and State of Iowa, have invented an Automatic Oar-Coupling, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to connect cars by means of hinged gravitating links adapted to reciprocally engage each other and also shoulders on the draw-heads; and my invention consists in the construction and combination of links and link-operating mechanism with a drawbar and a car, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of adrawbar having one of the gravitating links hinged thereto. Fig. 2 is a side view showing two draw-bars reciprocally coupled together by means of the gravitating links. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing my complete invention applied to a car as required for practical use.

, A represents a draw-bar adapted to be connected with a car in a common manner. It has an incline at the top of its head A and a shoulder A in rear of the incline, adapted to engage a gravitating link. It also has a linkcavity of common form and a pin-hole intersecting the cavity, adapting it to carry a link and pin of common form to be used in a common way for coupling two cars together.

B is a solid link of peculiar shape hinged on top of the draw-bar. It has a broad top and bottom, a shoulder 13 extending across its under side and near its front end, adapted to engage the shoulder A on the top of the draw-head A It also has a shoulder 13 extending across its top near its hinged end, adapted to engage the shoulder B of a corresponding link, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The shoulders on the draw-head and link may be reinforced with steel pieces A C is a straight bar hinged at its rear end to the under side and center of the draw-bar A to extend forward in an elongated cavity in the under side of the draw-bar.

D is a rock-shaft in bearings fixed to the under side of the pieces F, that project forward from the bottom of the car. It has arms D at its ends, that terminate in knobs that will by force of gravity retain the arms perpendicula r.

H is a cam fixed to the rock-shaft to engage the hinged bar 0.

J is a pin in a pin-hole that intersects the elongated cavity in the bottom of the drawbar. This pin rests upon the bar 0 and is raised by means of the bar 0 for the purpose of lifting a link B, as required,in uncoupling two cars connected by means of the hinged gravitatin g links.

K is a rock-shaft in a bearing fixed to the end of acar. It has an arm at each end, and one of said arms is connected with a bellcrank lever K at the top of the car in such a manner that the link B can belifted by means of the lever K by a person on top of the car, as required, to uncouple.

L is a chain attached to the carin such a manner that'it can be extended around a link B and fastened to the car, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig.- 3, to retain the link elevated and inoperative when a common link and pin is used for coupling.

In the practical use of the hinged links B when two cars come together one of the free ends of one of the links will strikethe inclined face of the approaching draw-head in such a manner that the link will slide up over the top of the head and by force of gravity engage the shoulder on they top of the head,-

and the other link will slide over the top of the lower link and by force of gravity engage the shoulder on the top of the lower link, and the draw-heads and links will be thus reciprocally. coupled. To uncouple, one of the rockshafts is actuated by a person at the side of the cars, as required, to lift the hinged bar 0 and the pin J, carried thereby, or the bellcrank lever is operated bya person on top of the car, as required, to lift a link B by means of the chain attached thereto. When two cars come together, the links do not impinge against each other or any other part of the coupling and are not subjected to any shock or strain, and the coming together of the drawheads restricts the distance that the links can advance relative to each other, as required, to reciprocally connectwith each other. When cars are uncoupled, the rock-shaft D, the bar 0, the pin J, and the links B will resume their normal positions by force of gravity, as required, to be in readiness for coupling again automatically when two cars come together on the track.

I claim as my invention-- 1. In a car-coupling device composed of a link having a shoulder on its forward under side, a shoulder on its rear top portion and hinged to the draw-head, means for raising the links and thereby uncoupling the cars, comprising a bar hinged to the drawba'r, a pin inserted in a vertical bore in the draw head,having its lower end resting on the free end of the said bar and its upper end adapted to engage the under side of the link, as required, to uncouple the cars, and a rockshaft extending to both sides of the cars and havinga cam in its central portion adapted to engage the said hinged bar and raise the link, substantially as shown and described, to 0perate in the manner set forth.

2. The link B, having a shoulder 13- on its under side and a shoulder B on its top, hinged on top of a draw-head having an incline at its front end and a shoulder A on its top, a bar 0, hinged to the draw-bar A, a pin J, and a rock-shaft D, having a cam II, arranged and combined with a car to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes stated.

JOHN H. BOLITI'IO.

lVitnesses:

H. LATHROP, M. K. RAMSEY. 

